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Greaves Log: Homecoming Part 2.5??
Homecoming Part 2.5?? Homestead Bound Shocking Beat down. *Sigh* I have to admit, that this shit is getting old very quickly. I'm really tired of being in this straight jacket. The guards moved us to the jail cells after the turmoil in the main hall. For some reason, Axel Grimm fought back against the group trying to apprehend him, he even punched one of them in the throat, so he got tazed. And now our Admiral is just staring at us incredulously with Fayte Lockhart right behind him. "This has to be the most idiotic crew I have ever had the displeasure of having under my watch. What did I tell all of you to do? I'll give you a hint, it was just one, simple little command........ Oh look, I see they took care of the dog properly!" I let off a groan of disapproval, which must have sounded more like a growl due to my several circumstances. He didn't take that well. Zachary took a shock stick from an adjacent guard and used it on me. Ckckckkckck gerk! (Ow.) "Hey, keep that mouth shut! Now where was I? Ah that's right; I told you all to be on your best behavior! You morons couldn't even remain model citizens for one day!! Only Fayte over here, and Vulture were the ones who didn't cause any trouble! He pointed at Axel and I, "You two just had to pick a fight with the local security!" Zachary gave me another shock. (OW.) "And what were you doing in the comunications tower!? I swear, you better not have part of what transpired there!!" He then turned to Moll. "Moll. Why were you tailing an inquisitor!? And did you really need freeze that officer!!?" The small girl just shrugged her shoulders and replied with "Desu". Then he turned to Krios. "AND YOU!!! I don't know what I'm going to do with you!! In the short time you've been here, you've killed a local shop owner, and tried to make away with ALL of his merchandise! You even ran over a security guard!!" Krios interjected. "Ah excuse me, that tech priest was being an-" "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT" Zachary cut him off. With everyone's attention on the Astropath, I tried to get out of my straight jacket. I couldn't BEAR it!! The thing restricted my movements to a minimal, I HATED IT!! Some of the straps began to snap, but they weren't snapping quickly enough. The two guards noticed, and shocked me with their own shock sticks. Admiral Zachary joined in his own shock stick. (YEOW'!'') After that, it became difficult to concentrate on the conversation. My whole body felt numb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I felt my straight jacket straps being loosened. I fall on the ground, motionless. I feel cool air, and hear something smack against the ceiling and floor. Wearily, I lifted my head and looked up to see Moll being lifted up by the guards. They seemed to be a little concerned, but Moll seemed to push them away. The ringing in my ears began to slowly die down. Admiral Zachary asked us. "So, who told you that General Faux Shot was dead?" I tried to speak up, but recieved nothing but another electric shock..... Odd, it didn't seem to hurt this time, it just tingled. Still, it was enough to shut me up. Much to Nathan's displeasure, no one else could seem to agree on who did it. With a heavy sigh, he turned to me to answer him. I saw Moll carrying a data slate, so I motioned to her to give it to me. At this point, I was far too fatigued to outright talk to anyone. I wrote down Nicole's name on it, then handed it to Zachary. "Nicole? How did she catch wind of this before I did?" Eh, oh well." He looked down at me, and seemed to be in deep thought. "Hey Fayte..... Can you make a shock collar for our canine friend here?" Much to my displeasure, she said yes. I would've raised an objection, but I was in no position to be talking. After this, we were called back to the hallway. Krios used his telekinesis to carry my limp body, but he did it rather poorly. My head kept hitting the stairs, forcing me to divert all of my focus into keeping my head up. Court Of Betrayal, And Persecution The main hall was far more subdued than it was earlier. It could've been the lights, but the place seemed darker than last time as well.... Shadows seemed to play on the ceiling.... How free they seemed to be.... I was propped up in a chair, but my head still hanged back, allowing me to keep track of the movements of the ceiling shadows. The Rogue Traders gathered in the hall began once more at questioning each others loyalties. While it wasn't as frantic as it was earlier, you could still cut the tension in the room with a mono knife. *Sigh* This was going to take forever. I began getting some feeling in my toes.... It wouldn't be too long until I would be able to move and talk. Although I think I won't be capable of fighting until I got some sleep. I heard something I never thought I'd ever hear from our group. Krios stood up and shouted. "HE'S THE ONE!!! THAT DOG DID IT!!! EARLIER HE ASKED ME FOR C-4!!! . . . . . . . . . I could feel the intensity of everyone's eyes on me. Even the shadows on the ceiling seem to stare at me. (I swear on the God Emperor, I'm going to kill that asshole.) I tried to say that the Astropath was lying, but I don't think the words came out of my mouth. "GET HIM!!" One of the Rogue Traders yelled. I was violently taken off my seat, and situated at the far end of the table for all to see. I could hear all the voices in the mob. Everyone wanted me dead. I finally got enough strength to move my head to attention. Krios sat about four chairs to my left. He had a wide toothy grin on his devilish face. (Even his hair seemed to resemble devil horns.) Admiral Zachary sat to my right, and put Fayte's collar on me. (Damn, she completed that thing impossibly fast.... Then again she was always good at doing that.) Krios declared that he was going to be the prosecutor for this case. Everyone stared at him, but no one challenged him. With that, Zachary asked if anyone was willing to defend me..... I only heard crickets........ (Wait, what are crickets doing-) *Sigh* "Okay, okay, if no one else is going to do it, I will." A voice sounded off in the distance. People moved aside to allow Moll to pass. She put her right hand on her left shoulder, and tugged at her clothes. In an instant, her armor and military gear was removed, revealing a rather stylish, but formal clothes and short skirt. "I Officer Moll, the defense is ready your honor." She put on a pair of glasses on, and they seemed to shine with light as she finished her sentence. I looked at Admiral Zachary, who for some reason had a white haired wig with curls on his head, and a gabble in his right hand. He was just standing still in absolute shock. "You..... You..... YOU COULD TALK THIS ENTIRE TIME!!!!!?????" His voice seem to project a breeze, blowing away pieces of paper in front of him. "She put her right hand on her hip and said, "Why yes of course... I mean Desu". With that, Admiral Zachary just sat down in motioned for Moll to do the same. . . . . . . . . This may not be the worst day of my life so far, but it certainly is in the top three. Krios started off with the false accusation that I had asked him for C-4 prior to the explosion. When Moll asked for proof of this supposed C-4, Krios simply stated he couldn't give the proof, because it was already destroyed. Clever bastard, still, this accusation was shaky at best. I got some strength up and told the court that this was a lie. No one seemed to be sure of who was telling the truth. Zachary told the court that he believed I wasn't capable of doing this. Partly because, as he claimed, that I couldn't see colors such as red and blue, and would've blown myself up in the process. (Which was entirely false, but I wasn't going to correct him.) He even said that I couldn't even throw a grenade straight. I muttered when I ever done such a thing, which unfortunately resulted in another shocking. Nordshimm showed up. He let the court know about my actions in the bar. How I accosted him and accused him of cheating. That didn't help matters. Krios tried to injure my case further, by bringing up the time I injured several crew members on board the Homestead. He asked Fayte to submit her dataslate as evidence. Before she could do that, the data slate froze in her hands. Everyone pointed at Moll, but she feigned ignorance. (Still, even if I wanted to, it's not as if I could say that I made things right with the people I fought, I bribed them with photos that shouldn't officially exist.) While Moll was doing her best to defend me, the rest of my crew were completely useless. They did not seem the least bit interested in trying to save me. Those idiots, they must know that I'm not capable of doing something like this on my own. Don't they realize that if I'm convicted that the real traitor will escape from this planet!? Even Fayte, when Zachary secretly asked her to help me on his microbead, said "There is no remedying this situation". That bitch. Soon, things were taking a turn for the worst, as the crowd seemed convinced that I '''truly did '''blow up the tower. The situation seemed bleak for me. Seeing that I was out of options, I went with my last resort. I slammed my fist on the table in front of me. Before Zachary could induce another electric shock, I made my statement. "I can prove that I am not responsible for the bombing. Just let me have a private meeting with the one in charge." Krios tried to turn my words against me, "You killed the one in charge" he said. I shook my head. "I mean the one who is now in charge. I swear, that I am not responsible for this, and if you can grant me an audience with the person who took the General's place, I can prove it right now!!" Murmurs broke out among the, 'grand jury'. Zachary turned to me. "Greaves, as it stands right now, I cannot grant you a private audience with the one you want. If you have something to say, you'll have to say it in front of everyone." I took a long breath, and looked around the room; no one was for me in this case, save for Moll. I told Zachary that I understood, and would speak with him or her in front of everyone. The 'Judge' nodded and got two people to pull my chair back. Naomi, Nathan's wife, walked in front of me. "You wanted to see me? This had better be worthwhile." (I figured it was her. I don't know if this will work in my favor or not, but I certainly had to try.) I took a deep breath, and began my tale. "....Naomi Zachary, when I first met your husband, I appeared to him as a mercenary with the intention of joining his crew for cash. That, was a lie." More murmuring echoed in the hall. "The truth is, I work for Tarron Damos as a spy." This time, I heard gasps being made, even from my crew mates. Naomi raised her hand to order them to stay quiet. "'''That, is a bold claim, dog. Tell me, why would Damos send you to spy on Nathan?" I let out a chuckle. "If you don't mind me saying, for the entire irony of the situation, it was to keep him on a short leash!" I felt the tingling of another electric shock going through my system, but I disregarded it. (I guess I'm developing a resistance to it.) Several of the people gathered in the hall laughed at the joke. (How does it feel NOW Nathan Zachary!!?) "I'd watch that tongue of yours if I were you Greaves." Naomi said. I apologized. "Ma'am, the reason I went to the comms array earlier was to submit a report to my supervisor. It would have looked bad if I hadn't taken the time to do so while on this planet. Your husband has done nothing wrong during the time I 'served' under him. He has proven himself an example for all to look up to. I have no quarrel with Damos's army, and it would have been foolish for me to do what I've been accused of!! I swear to you, I'M INNOCENT!!! And if you don't find the real traitor, he or she is going to walk away from here!!" Naomi took a moment to think about my words. She walked around in a small circle. After a few seconds, she spoke up again. "I only one last question Greaves. Tell me, who do you fear more; Tarron, or Nathan?" . . . . . . . . . . . Everything seem to pause at that moment. I couldn't think. With all the stress I was under, I didn't know which answer was the one Naomi was looking for. I decided to gamble on the truth. I told her in all honesty, "If I had to choose, I fear Tarron more." Naomi was silent... You could almost feel the atmosphere leaving the room and being sucked into a vacuum in the silence of the hall. "We've been chasing after an innocent man." I let out a sigh of relief, while Naomi continued talking. "Everyone who fears Tarron knows not to interfere with his business. WE have been wasting our time here!! The real killer is still on the loose!!" The Hunt For Answers I'm going to get fired. I'm alive, but as soon as word reaches Jika, I'm out of a job. God Emperor, I must be an eternal pessimist. Well, if it reaches Jika. Being found not guilty was a huge relief on my mind: but I couldn't force myself to relax just yet. We still needed to find the true traitor. After a quick recess, I returned to my crew, exhausted. I slumped in my chair but remained alert. I gave Krios the evil eye, but decided against doing anything to him just yet. His punishment will come after this. The table in front of us had been removed, in its place were several rectangle tables that circumvented the room. This allowed Naomi to walk in the center of the room, and according to her, 'save time from walking around an over sized piece of furniture. Before she started anything, she asked us, "Why do you think someone would do this?". I started off. "Well Ma'am, I believe it was to make us vulnerable. With our communications relay destroyed, we are completely cut off from the rest of the universe, save for the astropaths. And with all of Tarron's most trusted Rogue Traders here, it would be the most opportune time for his enemies to strike. Since Damos is under investigation by the inquisitors, it' most likely going to be from chaotic forces." The others chimed in. Fayte (I think) suggested that perhaps the General found incriminating evidence against someone and decided to get rid of him. I believe Axel said that was probably an intimidation tactic. Much to my enjoyment, I saw Krios struggle to say that he agreed with my assessment. (He tried so hard not to.) Moll said Desu. When Naomi was satisfied with our answers, I raised my hand. "If I may ask ma'am, how did General Alexi die?" She faced me. "He died in the explosion. His arm was found next to a pile of rubble." I muttered to myself, "If it was just his arm, than there may be a chance that he was alive". Nathan heard me and muttered back, "Don't get your hopes up". Looking at him, a question dawned on me. "Sir, what was the General like?" (N) "Stuck up, cocky, and arrogant...... Also a bit of a buzz kill." (G) "That was.... a rather quick answer..... Well, I guess since you knew him so well, want to say any words concerning his passing?" (N) (Ponders about this) "Well...... Gosh I don't know how to say I feel.... Relief? No not quite. Hm... I'll get back to you on that." Our attention was brought back to the meeting, when Krios asked Mrs. Zachary who had the largest amount of contraband. "The person with the most to lose, might be our guy!" I believe he said. She sighed. "Well if you must know, here is the list of everything we found on every individual's ship." She laid out nine sheets of paper before the entire group. "AND Here, is the list from your ship." The list was three papers full of text; front and back. As Naomi Zachary read the list out loud, Axel tried his best to defend it. (Na) "Illegal, as well as excessive firearms...." (A) "We were saving those in case of emergency!" (Na) "Zenos prostitutes...." (A) "That's for morale!" (Na) "One whole Adaptus Mechanicus ship that you shouldn't be in your possession." (A) "There's a perfectly good explanation for that!" (Na) "Non-sanctioned Cloning materials from said ship, with cloned psychics in stasis...." (Moll) "Desu desu!" (Na) "An undocumented prisoner claiming ownership of Mechanicus ship....." (A) "Again, perfectly good explanation for that!" (Na) "Crates full of Zenos eggs...." (A) "That was for the pursuit of science!" (Na) "A room full of ork spores..." (A) ".... Okay, so maybe Nathan hired some outside help, who hasn't!?" (Na) "Undocumented mining ores and equipment...." (A) "We're Rogue Traders! We need to make a profit!" (Na) "As well as one unsanctioned bull mutant." (A) *Points to me.* (G) *Stares around.* "WHAT? He's a nice guy; better than you assholes! Except for you Moll. Besides, I was going to get him sanctioned anyways!" Throughout the entire exchange, Nathan Zachary was just hanging his head in shame. The other Rogue Traders started to accused Zachary of having the most to gain from the General's death. Nathan stood up. "If you all are saying that I was responsible for this, sorry to disapoint you all, but that simply wouldn't be possible. I got here after ALL of you, and never went into the tower! The only thing of mine that went in there is 'agent mutt' over here, and we just proved him innocent." A voice sounded off in the crowd. "What were you doing before the blast?" Naomi answered. "He was with me. We were busy dealing with, 'personal' issues." The way she said that sounded a little off. What did she....... Ooooooh.... Yeah we don't need to dive into that too deeply. Someone suggested that we look into everyone's account to see if someone received any suspicious payments as of late. The idea was that the one who did get such a payment could have been paid off to attack Tarron. With that, Fayte got a new dataslate, and accesssed everyone's financial records. She found out that only two Rogue Trader's present did NOT receive a payment. That left seven Rogue Traders other than us. Thinking back, I remember the man I saw at the gun range. He was wielding a Vindicator assassin rifle. I mention him to everyone else. However, since I never saw an assassin rifle before, they didn't put too much credit on it. Krios stepped up, and went into the center of the room. He looks at one Trader, and the man doubled over. Before his men could tackle Krios, the psychic loudly claims that the man let an entire planet get taken over by a chaos faction. The man immediately got defensive. "THEY FOLLOWED ME!!! I DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE!!" There was a bang at the door. Most people ignored it, but I looked behind me. A security guard tried to brace the door, but was flung across the floor as the door was forced open. A long haired priest with a tall hat on entered the room along with a small number of soldiers. He lifted his quarter staff and slammed it on the floor. With that, holy light enveloped all of us. Nathan Zachary cringed. "Gah! It's like the morning sun, on the day you get a hangover!" The bishop passed us, and went straight towards the Trader that lost the planet. "You led a force of Chaos to take over a planet.... causing the deaths of thousands...... AND YOU DIDN'T REPORT IT!!!??" The man looked up in despair. "I.... I was afraid of losing my status.... I SWEAR!! I DIDN'T KNOW!!!" There was no mercy on the priest's face. "SAVE IT FOR THE INQUISITION!! MEN TAKE HIM!!" The Trader was dragged outside of the hall, screaming. The priest made his way towards us. "Greeting Nathan. You look well." "Hello Samson." Zachary replied. The priest continued. "I'm going to be brief this time. As it stands right now, I need to pay my respects to the late General. To do that, I'm on a dire search for his last will." "Oh, that's nice. But you don't have to worry, he left me everything." Nathan stated. Krios chimed in. "He left me his ship!" The priest ignored Krios. "Very funny Nathan. Point is, I'm trusting you to find his killer; and when you do find him or her, send them to me. That is all." "Can do Choir boy." Nathan replied. With that, Samson left the room, taking his followers with him. Naomi asked Krios, tell me, was that all you were able to gleam from him?" Krios nodded. "Then we still have a killer to catch. Back to the investigation." The other Traders got antsy, and once again started accusing Nathan of the bombing. Nathan was about to interject, but then he grasped his head. "GET OUT!" He shouted. Krios took a couple of steps back. Nathan was furious at him. It didn't stop Krios from taunting Nathan. "Why do you think your past is catching up to you?" "You wouldn't understand..." Zachary said. There seemed to be a hint of sorrow in his voice. What followed straight after was a tirade of both Krios and Moll searching through the minds of the other Traders. Axel even helped by tackling their target to make them more vulnerable. The other astropaths tried to stop the two psychic, but the two seemed to just outclass them. Eventually, they find the traitor. Moll shouted, "IT'S HIM!!! He mutinied against his real captain and killed him! Then he killed the General!!......... I MEAN DESU!!!!" The back wall exploded as a car burst through it. Sitting in the driver's seat was the assassin that was at the shooting range. The traitor made a beeline for the vehicle, outrunning everyone. Krios shot a force bolt at the vehicle. The damage seemed to short out the vehicle. As the assassin tried to restart the car, the local guard surrounded him. Axel ran up to the traitor, taking a guardsman's sword from his scabbard in the process, and stabbed the traitor in the shoulder, pinning him to the vehicle. I caught up a moment later standing inches from the traitor. "ALL OF YOU ARE DOOMED! NONE OF YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE!!" He declared. He pointed at everyone. When he pointed at me, he poked me in the face. I brushed his finger off, but he kept poking me again and again. "Hey, cut it out!" I yelled. The traitor smiled, and in a feminine voice said. "Desu." Wake Up! I woke with a start. I was in the jail cell that our group was placed in. Moll was in front of me, poking me with a stick. My body felt stiff.... and it was still in the straight jacket. Ugh.... It was a dream..... A crazy, no, an INSANE dream.